Bloggers Must Disclose

[jdobbin]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16302831/

It would be interesting to have political or social issue groups having to disclose if they are getting paid as well.

[Charles Anthony]

I think this is comical:

Bloggers are free to trash products or write neutral reviews, but advertisers can specify whether they pay only for positive write-ups.

from

the same article

in the Opening Post.

The back door is open. Anybody willing to pay me to write bad reviews of your competitor?? Sign me up!

On a related note:

What is a blogger??? Who defines a blogger??

Each one of us in this forum can conceivably be identified as a blogger. Anybody with a website that is edited with any frequency can be identified as a blogger.

[betsy]

I think that yes, getting paid by a company should be disclosed. It's up to the reader then how to take the opinion of the paid blogger....we could see it as nothing more than an extension of an advertising campaign or still take it as "neutral" and unbiased in its opinion.

But of course I'd tend to regard it as just another advertisement.

[jdobbin]

I think that yes, getting paid by a company should be disclosed. It's up to the reader then how to take the opinion of the paid blogger....we could see it as nothing more than an extension of an advertising campaign or still take it as "neutral" and unbiased in its opinion.

But of course I'd tend to regard it as just another advertisement.

I was thinking it would be good to hear if someone is writing a political blog as well to disclose if they are paid flacks from corporation or union.

[betsy]

I think that yes, getting paid by a company should be disclosed. It's up to the reader then how to take the opinion of the paid blogger....we could see it as nothing more than an extension of an advertising campaign or still take it as "neutral" and unbiased in its opinion.

But of course I'd tend to regard it as just another advertisement.

I was thinking it would be good to hear if someone is writing a political blog as well to disclose if they are paid flacks from corporation or union.

That too.

[jdobbin]

On a related note:

What is a blogger??? Who defines a blogger??

Each one of us in this forum can conceivably be identified as a blogger. Anybody with a website that is edited with any frequency can be identified as a blogger.

Some corporations have threatened lawsuit against forums like this that might be having negative discussions about their products and won.

My guess is that if you are a Canadians or American resident and your ISP is willing to give you up, you are within reach of the long arm of the law and it will be the courts that define what you are.

[betsy]

Some corporations have threatened lawsuit against forums like this that might be having negative discussions about their products and won.

And won? There must be another reason why those cases won....perhaps they were not really discussions....but deliberate slandering or spamming of targetted products?

[jdobbin]

And won? There must be another reason why those cases won....perhaps they were not really discussions....but deliberate slandering or spamming of targetted products?

They won the initial part of the legal attack which was to get the names of the people from the ISP. I hadn't heard the final result of how some of these cases went though. Perhaps FTA has heard.

[Remiel]

I would question the integrity of any judge who would define a forum poster as a blogger.

[jdobbin]

I would question the integrity of any judge who would define a forum poster as a blogger.

I wouldn't expect something like that either.

[theloniusfleabag]

What is a blogger??? Who defines a blogger??

Each one of us in this forum can conceivably be identified as a blogger. Anybody with a website that is edited with any frequency can be identified as a blogger.

This is why I have nothing but disdain for 'weblogs', popular though they may be. Basically an online diary, yet there are those that quote them as 'news sources', etc. I wold say that this forum, taken in a 'roundtable discussion' sort of way, qualifies as a 'weblog'. Ergo, the participants would qualify as 'webloggers'.